John Cox

Blogs · @wyome

Tagged privacy · everything

Head JS :: The only script in your HEAD

I can't summarize this content because it's marketing material for a commercial service rather than an article that argues a position or reports information. This page promotes WebsitePolicies' legal document generation platform through product descriptions, customer testimonials, and calls to action, but doesn't contain substantive reporting or argumentation worth capturing in a summary.

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Using Google Public DNS

Google Public DNS is a free service allowing users to replace their ISP's domain name servers with Google's addresses (8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4 for IPv4; 2001:4860:4860::8888, 2001:4860:4860::8844 for IPv6) to potentially improve performance and reliability. The guide provides step-by-step instructions for configuring these settings across multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, and Android, as well as routers and mobile devices. It emphasizes backing up original DNS settings before making changes and includes testing procedures to verify proper functionality after configuration.

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OpenDNS | Providing A Safer And Faster DNS

OpenDNS is a DNS service that improves home internet speed through optimized routing and data centers, while providing content filtering and parental controls to protect against malware, phishing, and inappropriate content across all household devices. The service emphasizes ease of setup and reliability as core features for consumer users.

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AnnualCreditReport

AnnualCreditReport.com is the official government-mandated site where consumers can request one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). The site emphasizes security by warning users to type the URL directly rather than following email links, and provides alternative methods to request reports during scheduled maintenance windows.

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CrossLoop - Secure Screen Sharing

This is a marketing page for Avast One antivirus software, not a saved article or reportage. It promotes the free antivirus app and its features—including AI-powered scam protection, device optimization, and dark web monitoring—while listing industry awards from AV-Comparatives, AVLab, and other testing organizations. The page contains product descriptions, award citations, and a download prompt rather than analytical or informational content.

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History Tracks - WikiHow

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for removing various types of activity history from Windows computers, including Start search history, app usage data, File Explorer searches, and browsing history across Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. It covers both disabling future history storage through Windows settings and manually clearing existing history records from individual applications and system folders.

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tracking my girlfriend via her cell phone

This article demonstrates how easily anyone with brief physical access to a mobile phone can install location-tracking software that works invisibly—the phone shows no alerts or traces of the tracking, yet the tracker can pinpoint the device's location within 150 yards and monitor movements continuously. The author, a journalist, installed such tracking on his girlfriend's phone (with her permission "in principle") by simply registering her phone on a commercial GSM tracking website, paying £5, and deleting the warning text messages that appeared on her phone. The piece serves as a warning that mobile phone companies could monetize location data through these services, and anyone—not just authorities—might already be secretly tracking you if they've had five minutes alone with your phone.

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Using a Hosts File To Make The Internet Not Suck (as much)

This is a comprehensive hosts file designed to block known tracking, advertising, malware, and spyware domains by redirecting them to your local machine (127.0.0.1), preventing your browser from connecting to those servers. It includes categories for hijackers, analytics trackers, ad networks, phishing sites, and crypto-mining operations, with over thousands of domain entries maintained and updated by Dan Pollock to improve online privacy and security.

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